Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exprimer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb exprimer

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The English translation of the French verb exprimer is “to express.” It is pronounced as “ehks-pree-may” in its infinitive form.

The word exprimer comes from the Latin word “exprimere,” meaning “to press out, extract.” It entered the French language in the 12th century and has been in use ever since.

In everyday French, exprimer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a past conditional action or possibility. This tense is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of the main verb (in this case, exprimé).

Here are three simple examples of exprimer in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais exprimé mes sentiments. (If I had known, I would have expressed my feelings.)
  2. Tu aurais exprimé ta colère si tu avais été là. (You would have expressed your anger if you had been there.)
  3. Nous aurions exprimé notre désaccord si nous avions été consultés. (We would have expressed our disagreement if we had been consulted.)

In all of these examples, the verb exprimer is used to convey the idea of expressing something in the past conditional tense. It could also be used to express a regret or a hypothetical situation.

Table of the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of exprimer

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais exprimé Si j’avais su, j’aurais exprimé mon opinion. I would have expressed my opinion.
tu aurais exprimé Tu aurais exprimé tes sentiments. You would have expressed your feelings.
il aurait exprimé Il aurait exprimé sa gratitude. He would have expressed his gratitude.
elle aurait exprimé Elle aurait exprimé sa colère. She would have expressed her anger.
on aurait exprimé On aurait exprimé notre désaccord. One would have expressed our disagreement.
nous aurions exprimé Nous aurions exprimé notre soutien. We would have expressed our support.
vous auriez exprimé Vous auriez exprimé votre avis. You would have expressed your opinion.
ils auraient exprimé Ils auraient exprimé leur opinion. They would have expressed their opinion.
elles auraient exprimé Elles auraient exprimé leurs idées. They (female) would have expressed their ideas.

Other Conjugations for Exprimer.

    

    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb exprimer
     

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exprimer
     

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exprimer
     

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exprimer
     

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exprimer
     

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exprimer
     

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exprimer
     

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exprimer

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exprimer

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exprimer

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exprimer
     

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exprimer

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exprimer
     

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exprimer
     

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exprimer  (this article)

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exprimer

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exprimer


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Exprimer – About the French Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense

The French “Conditionnel Passé” is a compound tense used to express hypothetical or unreal actions in the past. It is formed by combining the conditional of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” and the past participle of the main verb.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

Start with the conditional of the auxiliary verb: For most verbs, use “aurais” (for “avoir”) or “serais” (for “être”) as the conditional form. 

With “avoir”: j’aurais, tu aurais, il/elle/on aurait, nous aurions, vous auriez, ils/elles auraient. 
With “être”: je serais, tu serais, il/elle/on serait, nous serions, vous seriez, ils/elles seraient. 

Add the past participle of the main verb to this conditional form. 
For example, if you want to say “I would have done,” you would use “j’aurais fait.” If you want to say “She would have gone,” you would use “elle serait allée.”

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Expressing Unreal Past Scenarios

The Conditionnel Passé is often used to talk about actions that did not happen in the past, but you are speculating about what would have occurred if they had. It’s a way to discuss hypothetical situations in the past. 

Si j’avais su, je t’aurais aidé. (If I had known, I would have helped you.)
Il serait venu s’il avait eu le temps. (He would have come if he had had the time.) 

Polite Requests or Suggestions

It can be used to make polite requests or suggestions in the past. 

Pourriez-vous m’aider, s’il vous plaît ? (Could you have helped me, please?) 

Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty

It can convey doubt or uncertainty regarding past events.

Il aurait peut-être oublié notre rendez-vous. (He might have forgotten our appointment.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Conditional Present

You can use the Conditionnel Passé in combination with the conditional present to describe past actions that were hypothetical at the time they were spoken about. J’aurais aimé que tu m’appelles hier. (I would have liked you to call me yesterday.) 

Indicative Past Tenses

You might use the Conditionnel Passé alongside indicative past tenses like the passé composé to contrast hypothetical and real past events. Il est venu hier, mais s’il avait pu, il serait venu la semaine dernière. (He came yesterday, but if he could have, he would have come last week.) 

Conditional Future

In some cases, you can use the Conditionnel Passé in combination with the conditional future to discuss unreal past events that could have consequences in the future. Si j’avais réussi mon examen, j’aurais un meilleur travail. (If I had passed my exam, I would have a better job.)

Summary

In summary, the Conditionnel Passé is used to express hypothetical or unreal actions in the past. It is often used in conjunction with other tenses to convey various nuances in French, allowing speakers to discuss imaginary past scenarios, make polite requests, or express doubt about past events.

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